Mail > Get Account Info window: goofy font size

[schmoofee]

Hello. I am running 10.12.4 and using the native mail.app. I recently noticed - when I used all my mail quota on an IMAP server - that the fonts in the mailbox column of the account info window (see attached) were incorrectly displayed and difficult to read. Looks like they are too large to me for the space allocated.

My questions

• What controls the size of that font?
• Where can I find the controls to make them smaller?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers
Neil

FYI: To pull up this info window, I Control click on the name of the mailbox in mail.app sidebar

 

[boris42]

Hello. I am running 10.12.4 and using the native mail.app. I recently noticed - when I used all my mail quota on an IMAP server - that the fonts in the mailbox column of the account info window (see attached) were incorrectly displayed and difficult to read. Looks like they are too large to me for the space allocated.

My questions

• What controls the size of that font?
• Where can I find the controls to make them smaller?

FYI: To pull up this info window, I Control click on the name of the mailbox in mail.app sidebar

The font can be changed in Mail/Preferences/Fonts&Colors under Message font. The default is Helvetica 12, anything significantly larger will cause the bottom of the text to be chopped off.

 

[schmoofee]

The font can be changed in Mail/Preferences/Fonts&Colors under Message font. The default is Helvetica 12, anything significantly larger will cause the bottom of the text to be chopped off.

Thank you so much boris42. I was using verdana 12/14. I'll explore helvetica for email going forward. Do you know about best fonts for readability - in email and creating Web sites? If you do and have a moment, I'd appreciate some guidance on that too!

Thanks again

 

[MacGizmo]

Thank you so much boris42. I was using verdana 12/14. I'll explore helvetica for email going forward. Do you know about best fonts for readability - in email and creating Web sites? If you do and have a moment, I'd appreciate some guidance on that too!

Thanks again

The method Boris mentioned is only for email text. It isn't going to do anything for the situation you're talking about, which is part of the UI of the app. This is generally due to a problem with the fonts located in one of the Library/Fonts folders or within the System itself. Often times a restart can fix this (or a font cache cleanup).

As far as the fonts and size of text for readability in emails, it's largely irrelevant because most email apps have a default setting, or a custom setting that overrides what you sent it out as anyway. But for those who don't override, the general rule is between 13 and 18 pt body text. Sans-serif font (Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, etc.) are better for smaller text, but sans-serif works well around 15 pt. Ultimately, it's a matter of opinion, and everyone has a different one.

As for me, I don't care what font/size you use, as long as you only use one font and one size. If I see an email with multiple sizes of text or multiple fonts (or both), I immediately trash it.